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Original Sound Track
The futuristic electronic ambient score and rock Original Sound Track (OST) helmed by David Bowie, Reeves Gabrels, and Xavier Despas, was met with near-universal acclaim. Full vocal versions of the eight songs by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels are heard only at their secret concerts. Instrumental versions of those songs from the Original Sound Track are heard as background music, along with other tracks, designed as ambient music, by Reeves Gabrels, with David Bowie not credited. Developer David Cage originally had a composer wish list that included Björk, Massive Attack, Archive, and David Bowie. Contrary to Cage's expectations Bowie responded immediately and also wanted to inhabit the virtual space. Bowie appeared together with collaborator Reeves Gabrels and band member Gail Ann Dorsey as The Dreamers, a virtual band performing secretly and in defiance of government restrictions, in bars around Omikron City. Characters in the game could buy a virtual album by The Dreamers that they could listen to in their apartments. Or they could simply walk into an apartment that already has some of the music laid out in plain view or in hidden compartments. The Nomad Soul included eight songs written by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels, eight instrumental versions of those songs, and 26 other songs written by Gabrels. Songs from the soundtrack also appeared on Bowie's album Hours, which was released circa 5 weeks earlier than the game. "We All Go Through" was not on the general versions of Hours, but it was released as a Japanese bonus track , as a related single b-side and on the 2004 bonus disc. One of the three tracks added to Hours, titled "Brilliant Adventure", was actually considered as incidental music for the game /). Some songs on the album were a bit different than the versions used in the game. For example, for the song "New Angels of Promise" (used in the game's intro), Bowie changed the chorus lyric Omikron to Suspicious Minds. The 2004 bonus disc of Hours included three tracks markes as "(Omikron: The Nomad Soul version)". . At least as late as June 1999 David Bowie's upcoming album was thought of as the soundtrack for the game. The original title for the album was The Dreamers. Uncut magazine, November 1999, pages 44–64, Chris Roberts On an E3 press conference Bowie said about his work on the soundtrack: "I moved right away from the stereotypical industrial game-music sound. ... My priority in writing music for [The Nomad Soul] was to give it an emotional subtext. It feels to me as though Reeves and I have achieved that. We both worked really close with Quantic Dream". Some of the "instrumental songs" by Bowie and Gabrels would be further developed and released as b-sides, for instance "Awakened 2" is an instrumental version of "No One Calls" and "Thrust" (as heard during a rooftop fight with a demon) would become "1917". The game also included sound effects, ambient and additional tracks by Xavier Despas. Links * The Dreamers References Category:Content